N.L. from outside of Connecticut writes:
Dear Mister Condo,
Could you suggest me to solve my condo problem, please? The problem is that my condo ventilation is very poor. In each room, there is one window, one ventilation fan and one door. The window is the only way of fresh air from outside. The door is connected to a shared corridor which air can’t be ventilated because there is no any window in the corridor. Moreover, the ventilation fan is in the bathroom of each room, and each fan of each room is connected to the same vent. The end of the vent should exhale the bad air to the outside of the building. However, this cannot be done. Instead, the end is closed. Could you suggest me any way to deal with this problem? One way that I can think of is to upgrade my own fan to be more powerful than other rooms’ fan so that the air will be pull out from my room since other rooms’ fan is less powerful than my fan. Is this going to help? Or, is there any better ways? Thank you for your time.
Mister Condo replies:
N.L., poor ventilation is certainly a big problem. Are you the only one in your condo who is having this issue? Typically, ventilation problems are solved by professionals who specialize in Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (more commonly called HVAC). Your solution may be sound but applying it may not be as simple as installing a larger fan. Also, you might want to check with the Board before you make any changes as the HVAC system of the whole building may be outdated and need replacing. My advice is to write to the Board and tell them about your problem. Speak to your neighbors to see if they have similar ventilation issues. If enough of you are experiencing a problem, it may make more sense for the Board to hire an HVAC contractor to come and examine the property and provide a better ventilation solution. If there is no interest on the part of the Board to take the project on as an association, you might want to speak to an HVAC contractor to see how you can maximize your own ventilation for your own unit. I wish you fresh air and good luck!
i’ve lived in a codo with no ventilation for years and now i’m wondering if it’s causing health issues
C.M., it certainly could be. You might want to consider hiring an HVAC inspection expert to get an opinion about the air quality in your home. There are steps you can take to protect yourself, including a whole house HEPA filtration system. I don’t think the inspection would cost too much but the peace of mind could be priceless. All the best!